ERIC Number: EJ1233320
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0304-3797
EISSN: N/A
Analysis of Macroethics Teaching Practices and Perceptions in Engineering: A Cultural Comparison
Polmear, Madeline; Bielefeldt, Angela R.; Knight, Daniel; Canney, Nathan; Swan, Christopher
European Journal of Engineering Education, v44 n6 p866-881 2019
Students must be taught to understand the ethical issues associated with engineering and technology, which includes microethics and macroethics. This research examined the influence of cultural environment by comparing ethics-related education outcomes between educators in (1) the United States, (2) non-US Anglo, and (3) Western European countries who teach engineering students. In an increasingly globalised world where companies and projects draw from talent across countries, it is important to understand how different cultures educate future engineers about their ethical responsibilities. Survey results revealed that a majority of educators in all three groups viewed undergraduate and postgraduate education on ethics as insufficient. A higher percentage of non-US Anglo and Western European educators taught sustainability and environmental issues in their courses compared to US respondents. US educators taught codes of ethics, ethics in design, and safety more than those in Western Europe. Open-ended responses illuminated challenges and opportunities to improve ethics education.
Descriptors: Ethics, Graduate Students, Undergraduate Students, Engineering Education, Educational Improvement, Cultural Differences, Sustainability, Environmental Education, Technology, Outcomes of Education, Talent, Cross Cultural Studies, Comparative Education, Course Content, College Faculty, Teacher Attitudes, Professionalism, Cultural Influences, Foreign Countries
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Europe; Australia; United States; United Kingdom; Canada; New Zealand
Grant or Contract Numbers: 1540348; 1540341; 1540308; 1755390